Beach Guide: North West

West Kirby is a small sandy beach and is probably the most popular windsurfing location in the NW. Next to the beach is the Marine Lake and sailing school. The main attraction is speed sailing here, with some pretty fast speeds having been recorded in recent years. I'll be adding more specific information soon. In the meantime if you know more, please submit a listing

Hoylake is a huge beach about 2 miles wide and 6-7 miles long. it merges with West Kirby at its south-western end. Basically the beach is a huge sandbank that stays dry on neap tides under 8.4m, but can take a day to dry out properly. The beach itself is ideal for land based 'forces-of-nature' sports and its one of the best locations around for kite-buggying and land-yatching. The sand can be too soft for mountain-boarding or for smaller wheeled speed-sails though. It's a very long way to the water when the tide is out, so not really suited to watersports at low tide. It can however be a good place for windsurfing or kitesurfing when the tide is in as there is a large expanse of chest deep water perfect for learning to kitesurf of practising those elusive carve gybes. Most wind directions are OK, except southerlies or SE's which are offshore. Hoylake is not really suitable for surfing, although it does occasionally get some mushy windblown waves if you are desperate.
Hoylake is usually fairly quiet and parking is free all along the sea front. All the usual seaside amenities including, pubs, B&B's, shops etc are available nearby.
Restrictions are in place: Parts of the beach are protected by the natural trust from September - May. No Buggying/boarding/landyachting etc. in the first 200m of the beach.

Crosby has a large sandy beach with a high sea wall behind it. As with other beaches in this area, it also has a large tidal range and conditions are dependent upon the state of the tide. It is good for windsurfing and kitesurfing although there are no real waves for surfing. The best place to sail from is the car park by the lifeboat station and although most states of the tide can be sailed, it can be a long walk to the water at low tide and on big high tides the water comes right up to the sea wall making access to the water difficult. It is however a good location for generally blasting around, especially in southerly winds. It doesn't get busy here and you are likely to be the only person out sailing. Lifeguards are on duty in the summer and there is parking and cafes nearby.

Information coming soon...

A long sandy beach that is perfect for kite-buggying and kite-mountainboarding. I've only been here once, out of season and there was plenty of parking all along the beach and all the amenities you could need in the town. The tide goes out quite a way providing plenty of sand for land-based 'forces-of-nature' sports. At high tide windsurfing and surfing should be good here. I've got a bit more local information on Southport now...North of the pier at Southport is an excellent windsurfing location on an 8.9m and upwards tide. SW is very good and W perfectly acceptable. There's a keen bunch of local sailors - many convinced its better location than Costa Teguise, Lanzarote! - probably about 20 will be out on a good weekend. The best place to park is just after the pier in the pay and display overlooking the beach. Rig on the grass behind the small dunes and access to the water is from a ramp in front of the sea wall. The water goes out quickly so keep an eye on it. If the locals are packing up and going then you should probably follow suit, or you may be faced with a long walk across bottomless, boot removing mud. Get stuck in this and you will:
i) Need to be rescued by a woman and a small dog, and
ii) Be scorned for years by your mates.
Its a great location for intermediates upwards.

Information coming soon...

Information coming soon...

I'm not too familiar with this beach myself, but I know that the sandy beach here offers conditions suitable for windsurfing and kitesurfing. If you know more detailed information, please submit a listing.

The beach at Middleton sands, Heysham is ideal for windsurfing, kitesurfing and kite-buggying. Middleton sands is found on the small peninsula at the southern end of Morecambe Bay. This exposed location means that is is sailable in most wind directions, but only at high tide. Even on the largest high tides, the water remains relatively shallow for large areas. The large expanse of hard packed sand once the tide recedes is perfect for kite-buggying or kite-mountainboarding.

Morecambe Bay is on the Fylde coast of Lancashire, easily accessible from the M6 Motorway. Its a busy holiday resort that has recently been updated and improved and is now a cultural centre visited by millions. Morecambe Bay offers a range of locations for windsurfing, kite-surfing and kite-buggying (or mountainboarding). The area has huge tides so all these activities and the best places to go depend very much on the state of the tide. Most locals tend to congregate at The Battery before deciding where to actually go from. The battery itself offers good sailing on mid to high tides, although on large sprng tides the water gets too high and landing spots are few and far between, Low tide is sailable, but it can be a long walk to the water. There can also be a nice wave here that breaks off the large rock groyne. Otherwise though The Battery offers bump and jump windsurfing conditions or flat water blasting in SW through NW to NE winds. The Battery is also the usual place for kitesurfing in Morecambe Bay, but its best to wait for the tide to drop a little so that there is enough room on the beach for launching and landing.
Teal Bay is the spot to head for when high spring tides make The Battery unsailable. This location offers bump and jump sailing or kitesurfing in SW through NW to NE winds.
At low tide people tend to head either for the Heliport or the Lifeboat Station. the Lifeboat Station is usually the best bet as it is safer and more reliable. It offers flat water blasting in big lagoon, although the wind can be gusty. The Speed Course or Heliport can only be sailed at low tide on certain tides. There is flat water behind a large sandbank, and swells breaking on the sand bank. Rips are strong here and it is difficult to judge the water depth. Parking is possible at most of these locations, but you need a Waterside Car Park Pass (£10 from the local council). All the amenities you could ever need can be found in Morecambe itself and accomodation, pubs etc. are close at hand to all the launch sites except Middleton Sands.